I can’t fight at all! + Suggestions

  • K27R

    I really try hard to enjoy this game. Few months ago, me and my brother were playing and once we sank an enemy ship and took his treasure (awesome experience). After that, we haven’t had much success fighting other pirates. In fact, majority of the time we get our buts kicked BAD!

    I just had another one of those horrible experiences earlier tonight and I don’t believe it’s my fault.

    The melee combat just sucks. Not trying to bash the game, it just doesn’t function good at all! It removes me from the immersion of the game and I fail miserably each time I do my best. It’s just so slow and clunky! I dunno how the enemy pirates are able to manage it and still kill me without a scratch.

    (Guns don’t fair much better too)

    Here’s what the enemy does to me every time:

    • When he hits me with his sword, I can not hit him back no matter how many times I spam the attack button.

    • I can not switch between defence and attack quickly enough because it takes a million years! This is the BIGGEST problem.

    • When the enemy kills me, he remains on my ship killing me multiple times (and my crew) as we spawn, despite our best efforts to counter the situation.

    • Sometimes the enemy anchors our ship, preventing us from retreating. It’s a cool idea actually, but because of the above examples, I would not be able to Un-anchor my ship / change the situation.

    • The enemy pirate non-stop jumps everywhere, making it almost impossible to fight or shoot him. He also runs all over the ship (possibly even taking bananas) and we are helpess to catch him. Somehow, I don’t think he’s doing it to retreat.

    • Unlike myself (who would sink an enemy ship via cannon balls and watch it from a distance), the enemy pirate assures that once my crew is dead he will remain on my ship until my ship has sunk! He remains onboard, killing all of us as we spawn and preventing us from making any repairs or otherwise trying to counter attack.

    • The above horror is heightened when it can take up to 30+ minutes or more of endless sea searching for enemy pirates. The long wait, ruined.

    • My sensitivity btw is 2.0. I prefer calmer, soothing movements. I assume enemy pirates are way higher which also contributes to getting my but kicked because they can also manoeuvre faster then me.

    • I also get the feeling some enemy pirates maneuver their ships in particular ways that I’m unfamiliar with. For example, how to flee faster, despite having the same sail adjustments. Or... How to practically vanish from sight! Do they hide behind boulders? Does the server reset?

    These are truly frustrating experiences. Especially the bad sword play! Somehow though, enemy pirates have mastered the art of this renowned style, along with a dozen other tricks to help them, for which there is no tutorial for to conduct or prevent.

    I just want the ability to fight strategically, smart and skillfully against my equally threatening opponent with good, fast, smooth, satisfying sword play.

    I can’t even do any of the power attack variations because the enemy somehow avoids ALL of my attacks!

    SUGGESTIONS

    • Rare to introduce faster transitioning between attack and defence. Replace/remove the old, clunky, messy current melee.

    Make it feel like you’re actually in a life threatening or ‘authentic’ pirate dual, not something that bounces you overboard!

    • Make Defence and Attack interchangable quickly. (Pretty much same as first suggestion)

    • Increase the crew size of all ships. For the sloop, 4 people. (Seriously, my crew is 4. We don’t want to ride the galleon with no one else populating such a beast)

    For the Galleon, 8 or 10. Even 20! That’s the dream.

    The other ship... umm... dunno. 4 would definitely be nice, not 3.

    Point being: give power to the player!

    • Introduce some in-game tutorials on some cool ideas for combat. Not just tips on the internet.

    • Introduce better stealth to the game. Even sneak mode / crouch would be cool. I love stealth!

    • I haven’t experienced the vegetation collecting yet, but when I look at the game I always feel fascinated with the nature, wishing I could interact with it. Aka picking fruits, harvesting etc. I think this is a serious suggestion too. Yes, picking fruits. Somehow it just might work.

    • Update the pigs so they don’t die despite being fed plenty of bananas.

    • Improve the guns.

    The sniper is impossible to shoot with. You know those skeletons who shoot cannon balls at you from islands? I just want to snipe at them but their so far away and the bullet is not accurate. It’s best maybe only at a hundred meters.

    • Increase the game’s overall server population.

    Or at least invent a new game mode that allows people to sail with many more people than just a handful of ships (at best) in a single server.

    • Maybe let crew members physically bump into each other instead of walking through one another like thin air.

    • Create a “Safety” mode within the in-game menu where we can crew mates can duel each other with the safety ‘off’. Good for practice and unlimited fun.

    • Can’t figure out why there is a prison on the small boat when you can’t use it.

    • Capturing ememies would be cool too...

    I have plenty of suggestions, but most of all I demand the sword combat to be improved! Even just decrease the amount of time it takes to swing, and transition to defence by 1000%!

    I believe TES: Oblivion or Skyrim style combat is ideal for Sea of Thieves to mimic. Namely, the sword moves swift and steadily, fast and furious! You can immediately transition to defence, quicker than lightning!

    (I’m certain I’m not the only one who feels this way. I’ve looked at a fair few popular tips and tricks too and they still don’t do me no good.)

    Also, couldn’t the volcanos shoot rocks randomly instead of being so obviously scripted to hit (or almost hit) our ships?

    Thanks for reading.

    P.S _ This is my first post. I wanted to write in the forums for a long time but didn’t figure out how until now.

    NOTE: Xbox Player

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  • Octopus Lime
    Master
    Founder

    @k27r I don't really know what to say to this. My only advice is to take a seat prepare to get bombarded with replies.

  • K27R

    @octopus-lime I’m ready... 😤 bring it on!

  • Goedecke Michel
    Marauder

    @k27r https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/33162/training-with-subzarr-advanced-swordplay-guide/2

  • Ktingaling
    Marauder
    Insider
    Founder

    I don't want to give you the "GIT GUD!@#!@!!" comment..
    Although, i think it really comes down to that actually..

    Since other pirates are better, it must be a difference in skill. Maybe put your sensitivity a bit up?
    I suggest you practice against skellies! That is a good way to practice your "bunny hopping" which is a good tactic to prevent you are getting shot. Next is the defence, offense switch. Try that on skellies too.
    If you are not that certain you get a hit on your enemy, try to block him. If he misses / get blocked on his combo he will be stunned for a few sec. That is your moment!

    Also what i try to do, is lure the enemy in a sword dash. That can't be blocked, although it can be dodged! If you step away when he initializes his dash, he will be stunned for another couple of sec and you can step him in the back like a true pirate!

    A last suggestion, maybe try to play with another crew. You can learn from them aswell.

    Good luck my fellow pirate!

    [edit]
    A little addition.. you have to prevent to get boarded. Make sure you reconize the sound when someone is grabbing the ladder. If you are being boarded and get killed, most of the times you can't really do much about it than have a bit of luck of your spawining position..

  • K27R

    @ktingaling sometimes I can hear the ladder being boarded but not always (unexpected visits). I’m pretty good with skellies and there’s no way I’m turning my sensitivity up. I have fought with some other crews... somehow I’m not sure if we could exchange combat training amongst each other. We walk through each other like paper, so practice is impossible (unless skellies).

    SUGGESTION:

    There really does need to be a safety mode for crew mates, that way you can fight each other without harming each other. Could be turned off, but automatically remains on

  • Octopus Lime
    Master
    Founder

    @k27r I don't agree with 'no damage to allies' (Which I'm assuming is what you mean?) but I do think they should make alliance members name tags blue so you can tell them apart.

  • K27R

    @octopus-lime no I mean crew mates. With allies I’m talkin’ crew mates. My mistake

  • Ktingaling
    Marauder
    Insider
    Founder

    @k27r Yup, it would be fun if you could fight your crewmates aswell..

    With the "play with other crews" i don't mean you can learn from them by fighting them, but by their suggestions and watch them fight. Sometimes it helps if you are fighting an enemy and as soon as you are starting to lose, your crewmate can help you.. That way you can learn from your mistakes, without having the consequences of being dead and all xD

  • Admiral RRRSole

    @k27r I hear ya mate. I pretty much suck at PvP too but @Subzarr posted a great tutorial on sword play which @Goedecke-Michel was kind enough to provide the link to.

    Combined with @Ktingaling's tips you should be good to go. Or at least ready to practice on skeletons.

    Just watch those ladders on your boat. If you hear the splashing of a swimmer get a crew mate looking down from above one ladder while you or another crew mate watches the other ladder. Both armed with a firearm of any sort to shoot them in the head as they begin to climb. Don't wait for them to board the top deck, there's no such thing as a fair fight between pirates.
    Also be aware of them shooting at you from the water.

    When it comes to spawn killers there is little anyone can do.
    If you have little to nothing to lose you may want to consider scuttling your ship which takes all crew members to vote on. You'll find the option in your "Crew" menu which you can do from the Ferry of the Damned. The option is also posted on that ferry next to the door.
    This will spawn a new location for you, your replacement ship and your crew.
    It will be fitted with the same livery, sails and flag of your previous ship but without holes and the supplies will be the default minimum.
    Your loot or animal cages (if any) won't be there but your voyages will continue as if nothing happened.

    Good luck mate. :o)

  • CR0N0D
    Master
    Insider

    @goedecke-michel ha detto in I can’t fight at all! + Suggestions:

    @k27r https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/33162/training-with-subzarr-advanced-swordplay-guide/2

    This helped me ALOT when i stared to sail the seas. Study what he sas there, and then pratice, pratice alot. You will see that with time you will improve and become a deadly pirate!

  • One Eye Ethan
    Marauder
    Insider

    If you want some help, shoot me a message on Xbox (One Eye Ethan). We'd love to help out.

  • MaliceVanRow
    Captain

    @K27R this post is a clear sign of others being way more experienced than you. The combat mechanics are perfectly fine, you just need time to perfect your skill a bit. Use the tips @PersonalC0ffee gave, those are very helpful.

  • Kzoo Kid
    Marauder
    Insider

    You have some good replies but just a quick note since you stressed the importance of switching between offense and defense quickly; you can actually block with the sword while being hit very quickly.

  • K27R

    @personalc0ffee the transitioning between attack and defence needs to be much faster. It is far too slow and I contribute this alone to be 50% of what I still consider bad combat. Even if I became better in fighting I’d still be day dreaming for this improvement. If it could be so, I think the seas would be a vigilant, tactful and happy place!

    I’ll listen to these tips though. (Some I knew.) I had no idea you coud ‘dodge?’

  • SirioNDB
    Captain
    Insider
    Boatswain
    Founder

    I'm a fairly decent swordsman. Above average I would say.

    The system works, you just have to spend some time learning it. There's more than meets the eye.

    Twitch

    Twitch

    Twitch is the world's leading video platform and community for gamers.

    p.s. I play with 3.4 mouse sensitivity and 1700 dpi

  • Muzackmann
    Marauder
    Insider

    @k27r Remember though, if they made bringing up your sword into a block faster then the enemy would do the same thing and still keep you at a disadvantage. and yes, you can dodge by jumping while holding block. I literally didnt even learn the advanced sword lunge until months into the game. Still little bits to learn as we go so there's usually always room for improvement.

  • Dozer15
    Insider

    It really just comes down to practicing and anticipating the other pirate's actions. Believe me, you'll get better the more you fight others. Some of the most dominating fighters out there hardly use the cutlass and others never use a gun. Attack or defend as a group and if you're solo sailing, just know the numbers are always going to be against you.

    Remember to block and sidestep jump, and keep moving. A immobile target trying to shoot is usually a dead man. As a crew member, attack in 2s, and help your buddy. The sooner you get a numbers advantage, the quicker the battle swings in your favor.

    Watch the you-tube videos, and the combat videos. You can learn a ton very quickly.

  • PirateCraggy
    Legend
    Insider

    @k27r

    1st off - Welcome to the forum!

    Being an X-boxer myself as you are fully aware the sensitivity of your controller comes into play. It took me a good few months to seemly get it right for this game. I would suggest my settings, however every-bodies play style is different.

    Just play about with it a little more, it's by no means perfect for me, but certainly is a lot better balanced than when I first started out.

    You may also be aware there is keyboard & mouse control coming to xbox.... It may take a while for SoT to be fully supported
    ( not sure if it will, or how long it will take ).

    A little article link
    Mouse & Keyboard Support Xbox

  • Red0Demon0
    Commander
    Insider

    Sea of thieves is learning experience. As a result, there are a few things you learn as you play such as watching the sides of your ship. The easiest targets are those on the ship's ladder. As for shooting, if you master precision I would suggest when going pvp you skip the sword and go for 2 guns. Switching between weapon is easy and fast. I use the eye of reach hip fired followed by blunderbuss to the face which leaves anyone in my way dead and confused... exactly in that order, leaving them no time to think much less move about and re act. Also if your using a sword don't forget to charge attack. Many players assume their opposition will go on the offensive, do the opposite. Defend and walk backwards, when enemies get pushed back by sword after third hit they will sometimes try to defend as they think you will come in for a hit, take a few step back and charge attack

  • Bottledbuttfart

    You could also just never fight and run away at the first sign of danger like most of the rest of the community that's bad at combat.

    The reality is you're getting into a game with a handful of players that are pretty good at it. You're going to die learning how not to die. On the plus side though, half the population consists of helpless chicken farmers so... you'll be able to kill most players fairly quickly with a little practice

  • UrihamRayne
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    Not gonna ask you to get better, just to crew up with more players, your strenght might appear once you start working in a team, I used to have a lot of trouble in pvp back in alpha, but I crewed up with people a lot until I got confortable with some strategies even becoming a shot caller more than a fighter.

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    @K27R There's a lot you can do in combat; my guide should help.

  • Frankenwolf5004
    Marauder
    Insider

    I found that watching YouTube videos can help a lot (Zylbrad's a good one), I learned most of what I know about PvP through him, and a lot of the games other tricks, so maybe that's a place you can start. But you really need to turn up your sensitivity, 2 is just way too low. As for cutlasses, Rare designed a really fluid system, you (and I really hate to say this) just need to get better at reading situations and blocking. With a lot of multiplayer games, every death should feel like it was your fault (in a non self deprecating way) You should've reacted quicker, or you were over extended, should've healed when you had the chance, so and so on. The first crew you killed was probably pretty inexperienced, or you've been having bad luck ever since. Don't know what else to say to help you.

  • K27R

    @frankenwolf179 problem is I want to react quicker but the sword play and transition to defencs is too slow. It’s not my intention to even spam buttons, it just so slow the action won’t follow immediately upon pressing the either attack or defence buttons. I’d say the conbat would be good if it was much more quicker. Slow isn’t fun when it comes to quick thinking

  • K27R

    @personalc0ffee said in I can’t fight at all! + Suggestions:

    @k27r said in I can’t fight at all! + Suggestions:

    @personalc0ffee the transitioning between attack and defence needs to be much faster.

    I still do not understand what you mean?

    Blocking and attacking is very fast. You block with LT and you attack with RT. You hold RT to lunge. If you miss and hit nothing, you suffer cool downs with every attack.

    Say you go to do a 2-hit combo, hit the first but miss the second; you are now subject to a cool down and you will be unable to block for a short time but you can counter that by hitting literally anything.

    If I press LT, (block) and I want to attack with RT... it won’t work until 1.2.3 seconds later. Whethere a combo is performed or not, time between sword swings is also slow.

    Or... If I’m attacking (RT), and I want to block... I won’t be able to block my enemy because by the time I’ve blocked, I’ve already been hit too much despite pressing LT a century ago.

    Not lag or anything, it’s how the gane functions. Slow

  • K27R

    @muzackmann I’d be perfectly fine with my opponent having the same benifit of speedy combat. Even increased health could prolong battles to make sure fights don’t end too quickly. But yeah, I’d love that. I’d be able to react much quicker. Maybe I won’t be as skilled as my opponent, but at least I’ll be able to demonstrate my skills effectively, because even if I was a good fighter, I wouldn’t be able to fight as effectively as I’d wish for because the game won’t allow

  • K27R

    @galactic-geek said in I can’t fight at all! + Suggestions:

    @K27R There's a lot you can do in combat; my guide should help.

    Thanks.

    Except even if I press attack 10 times (in general), I’ll only be able to swing 3 times instead of the 10.

  • Lucaspolucas
    Marauder

    fighting system isnt great .... or it just hard to do for some

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    @suvivil-master9 It's not hard at all - it's actually deceptively deep with all of the things you can do. The problem is that a lot of players don't know about the advanced techniques because there's no real combat tutorial built into the game, and not everyone knows or cares to look up answers online.

  • Lucaspolucas
    Marauder

    @galactic-geek thats why i specifically said for some, i personally find the fighting easy.

  • JeblusCrhist
    Seafarer
    Insider
    Founder

    @k27r I have never had problems with the combat system..I have found out if you are being attacked by a sword you can't swing back but you can block. If they get the first hit on me I just block the other 2 attacks and then spam attack them because 90% of players don't know they have a block button or they just would rather spam the attack button and scream "It's not working!" You HAVE TO use the block if they get first hit..I think the combat is fine the way it is..just most people have no figured out how to use it..another thing..people are like I can't get a hit in because all they do is block! Well 2 options...you can jump and hit them from above..just spam jump while swinging your sword..or use your sword dash to break the block..just make sure you don't miss because then you are in trouble lol. Overall though..it is a great combat system and most players just don't know how to use it..

  • Muzackmann
    Marauder
    Insider

    @averageheroz This is why I think their should be a duel system simply so people who are not great at combat have a chance to slow things down and learn it rather than trying to attack the frog jumping all over the ship.

  • JeblusCrhist
    Seafarer
    Insider
    Founder

    @muzackmann Yeah that would not be a bad idea..that way you can mess around with your friends and test things out..because when fighting another crew they will not give you the time of day to learn..and I mean that is understandable..but tbh that is how I figured it out..getting my butt kicked over and over..and now I almost never die lol.

  • Muzackmann
    Marauder
    Insider

    @averageheroz Same, I was lucky that a friend of mine put alot of hours early on into the game and was able to pass on everything he knew to me. But I still had to go to the ferry often enough to learn how to use all the info.
    Also why I'm glad so many PL's are willing to help (despite plenty who won't) out newer players especially for a game that does not hold your hand at all.

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